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December Discussion: Education & Experience - How do your experiences and education fit into your writing, as well as the way you evaluate the writing of others? What importance do you feel overall learning and experience plays in writing? http://fanfiction.mugglenet.com/foru...ad.php?t=27892

September Discussion: Reviewing vs Beta-Reading - If you beta, in what ways does your betawork differ from the reviews you write? Is it just a matter of thoroughness, or does the manner in which you present criticism also affected? Are you more likely to give positive feedback in a beta comment or in a review?http://fanfiction.mugglenet.com/foru...ad.php?t=24155

July Discussion: Reviewing - Individual review experiences; Which type of stories you prefer to review, any method you use while reviewing, how you approach both positive and negative feedback, if you have any particular requirements for yourself when reviewing, how your own reviews have improved while in SPEW, how you would like your reviews to iprove, the type of things you comment on in a review, your reviewing strenghts and weaknesses, etc;http://fanfiction.mugglenet.com/foru...ad.php?t=22152

If there was one thing Carter Fawcett hated about schoolwork, it was research. Currently, he was sitting at one of the round tables in the library with his best mates, Lucas Chambers and Emily Bradley, working on an essay they had been given in Transfiguration. They were only in third year, and yet, with their new load of classes, their coursework seemed to have increased two-fold from last year.

With another loud huff, Lucas slammed his book shut and placed it atop three others. “I’ve gotten all I can out of that one as well, but I still don’t think its enough. I’ve only got three inches, and we need seven …”

Emily groaned, setting down her quill. “Three?” she asked with a hint of annoyance. “I’ve only got two, how have you got three?”

Lucas shrugged. “I don’t know; have a look, then.” He handed her his parchment to look over and watched as her eyes slid across it. Through all of this, Carter remained silent, his eyes glued to his own paper. With only one paragraph left unfinished, he was nearly through with it, thank Merlin.

It was then that he realized that their table had grown silent and the scratching of his quill seemed suddenly magnified. Four eyes were burning holes into his robes, and the scratching slowed to a stop before he looked up. Both Emily and Lucas had fixed him with stares of envy and annoyance.

Shifting uncomfortably, Carter put down his quill and replied, “All right, I suppose … I can’t seem to get this last paragraph right, though. Perhaps we should find another book …” He trailed off, giving her a weak, apologetic half-smile.

Lucas groaned and leaned over, cheek-to-table. “I’m through looking for books, one of you two do it this time.”

Carter looked down at his parchment and then up to Emily before volunteering. “I’ll go,” he offered, standing. “Where again?”

Sitting up straighter, Lucas pointed toward the back shelves of the library. “Somewhere over there,” he answered with a vague gesture in that general direction.

“All right, I’ll be right back,” Carter said, pushing out his chair as he started toward the secluded shelves.

Without any real method to his choosing, Carter started down a random aisle when he neared the part of the library that Lucas had referred to, picking out a random book as he went. Browsing the shelves lazily, Carter ran his finger along the spines of the books. When he neared the end of the aisle, he heard the sound of a male voice.

“… you really don’t hide it well.”

The voice was coming from one aisle over, and Carter stopped to consider his options. He wasn’t sure if he should continue into the aisle or not, but as he pondered, the voice was joined by another, a female. They spoke quietly, and Carter could only make out certain random words. Almost involuntarily, Carter found himself moving toward the voices as he tried to hear them better, knowing that he shouldn’t eavesdrop and at the same time doing nothing to stop himself.

“Okay, now I know you’re full of it,” he heard the female say. The male countered with something Carter still couldn’t quite hear. He moved another few steps closer.

Suddenly, Carter found himself at the end of the next aisle, and at the sight before him, his mouth fell open.

Leaning against the books on the shelves were two students locked in a heated kiss. The boy had his hand at her neck and the other at her waist; the girl’s hands were both gripping his hair tightly. As Carter watched, their kiss deepened; their heads now moving opposite each other as their passion clearly intensified.

When they finally broke apart she whispered something Carter couldn’t quite make out, and then the boy’s voice said louder, “Told you, did I?”

Faces flushed from their moment of passion, they simply stood their staring at each other, and Carter’s mind was still trying to catch up. He felt his sweaty fingers slipping on the book he was holding, and when the girl reached up to touch the boy’s hair again, it fell out of his hands, hitting a few others out of their places as it fell. The clatter seemed louder than it should in the small space of the aisle as three or four books made contact with the stone floor.

At the sound of the disturbance, both the girl and the boy snapped their heads in his direction, and Carter suddenly felt very in the spotlight. Now that they were facing him, Carter recognized the girl as a sixth year in his house, Ravenclaw. He had seen her around the common room frequently, though he didn’t know her name. The boy was wearing Slytherin’s robes, which only made Carter more nervous.

“S-sorry,” he stuttered, still not moving.

The boy glared at him, while the girl just looked very embarrassed, shifting uncomfortably beneath the boy. He moved to give her more space and then spoke. “Well, go on then,” he said to Carter, his tone slightly harsh. “Sod off. Quit ogling and get moving.”

Carter tried to speak, to apologize, but all that came out was an embarrassing squeak. Quickly, he moved to scramble up the books he had dropped, but he was in such a hurry that they fell twice more. The awkwardness of the moment was almost tangible and Carter just wanted to get away from them before the Slytherin became too impatient and decided to take matters into his own hands.

Finally, Carter collected them all and sprinted away, his cheeks still flaming red. He had just seen two older students snogging in the library! Chuckling to himself, he walked faster, imagining what Emily and Lucas would say when he told them what he’d witnessed.

"Through literacy you can begin to see the universe.
Through music you can reach anybody.
Between the two there is you, unstoppable."

One December night, with the Christmas holidays growing ever closer, Lily Evans finds that she cannot sleep. She lies awake for hours, thinking about nothing in particular, until she finally decides lying there is useless. She gets up, pulls on some clothes, and leaves her dormitory as quietly as she can. Briefly, she considers sneaking into the boys’ dormitory and waking James, but there is a Quidditch match in the morning and she thinks he should rest.

When Lily slips out of the common room, the Fat Lady, who had been sleeping, snaps at her, but Lily ignores this. She makes her way through the castle and up to the Astronomy Tower, where she can be alone.

Upon emerging atop the tower, Lily simply stands for a few minutes, gazing up at the stars. The sky is navy dotted with brilliance, and Lily is always taken aback by how stunningly gorgeous a night sky can be. But she moves on soon, rounding a corner to one of her favorite places to sit.

Sirius Black is there. He is leaning against the wall she had been aiming for, and for a moment Lily is too surprised to say anything. Then her curiosity gets the better of her and she asks, “What are you doing here?” She glances around as she says this, half expecting James to jump out in laughter, but the night is as still as ever.

“I could ask the same of you, Miss Evans,” answers Sirius casually, not changing his relaxing position. “Head Girl up here after hours? Shame on you.”

This does not faze Lily. She knows she conveys an image of the quintessential good girl, but she is also not ashamed to admit that she can break rules, too. She thinks Sirius is allowed to know the truth, because she does not believe for a second that he will betray her. “Shame on me, then,” she says with a small laugh.

At this, Sirius grins. “Indeed!” he exclaims with an air of mock formality. “But might I inquire wherefore thou art here?”

Lily shakes her head. “I asked you first.”

“You did, that’s true,” Sirius agrees, and he waves his hand at her in some sort of gesture that seems to suggest aha, you’ve caught me. Lily wants to roll her eyes, but refrains. Sirius is being charming, and she is going to let him. “But I figure it can’t be that strange seeing me here, can it? You can’t be awaiting my answer too eagerly, because you know it’s not out of the ordinary for me to be roaming the castle after hours.” He pauses and looks at her, but she keeps her expression contained to mild amusement. “You, on the other hand,” he continues. “You are somewhat of a mystery.”

“Am I? How’s that?” Lily feels somewhat satisfied with herself, though she isn’t sure why. So Sirius Black doesn’t know her very well, what does that matter? But she thinks it does matter, for some reason. She thinks she wants him to know her. She wants to know him.

“Head Girl, perfect student, rule-abiding citizen. What’s a good girl like you doing here, past midnight, at the top of the Astronomy Tower? With Sirius Black, no less.” He winks in that way he does, and Lily suddenly understands why many girls are not repulsed by Sirius Black, as she once was.

But Lily only rolls her eyes and says, “I didn’t know you would be here.” A part of her wonders – what if she had known? Would she have come? She doesn’t know the answer. She doesn’t know if she wants to know the answer.

Sirius is speaking. “Ah, yes, good point. You didn’t know I would be here, so I can’t fault you for being in my presence. But--” he makes another gesture, though this one says I have caught you “--you knew it was after hours, and you knew this was an off-limits area, did you not?”

Lily considers her answer this time. I couldn’t sleep seems rather pathetic and uninteresting. After a moment, she says, “Everybody needs an adventure once in a while, don’t you think?”

“Well, I think that. I didn’t think you thought that.”

“I’d venture to say there are a few things you don’t know about me.”

“It goes both ways,” he says, and the implications are endless.

As Lily studies Sirius Black, she sees a person she has never seen before. She thinks he is undeniably beautiful, and she wonders how she never noticed that before. She wonders, who is this Sirius Black, and why am I only just meeting him? She wonders what she has missed out on, if here is a friend she has never known.

Remus lazily turned the page of his book, watching it as it gently fell towards the opposite side of the book. The sun had started its rapid descent, casting strange shadows around the Gryffindor common room that rearranged themselves every few minutes. He was alone, except for a few third years in a corner and some first years huddled around a table playing a very exciting game, it seemed, of Exploding Snap.

James was off with Lily, each of them claiming Head Boy/Girl “duties”, but Remus suspected that those duties had to do more each other’s lips than the student population. He wasn’t exactly sure where Sirius was, but he supposed he was with Gwen somewhere. Peter was . . . somewhere. Either the Owlery or the kitchens or the Library or maybe he had detention tonight? Anyway, it didn’t really matter. All it meant was that Remus finally had some quite time to just sit down and enjoy his book.

Not that he really thought it would last long.

“REMUS!” Sirius burst through the portrait hole, yelling his name, and effectively ending the first years’ round of Exploding Snap.

At least he had enjoyed it while it lasted.

Sirius raced over to him, looking crushed and panicked and pissed. Upon a closer inspection of his face, Remus noticed blood trickling out of his nose, and it seemed to be jutting out in an odd way. He lifted his wand and tapped Sirius’s nose, muttering a spell under his breath. It righted itself so it faced the proper direction.

“Who?” he asked, sitting back down on the fluffy armchair behind him.

“What?” Sirius looked confused for a second—clearly not the question he was expecting from Remus.

Sirius sighed and sat down. He took his head in his hands and pulled them through this hair, raising his eyes so he was staring straight into the fire. “Er, the thing is,” he began. “Well, you see . . .” He glanced at Remus, looking for an intro.

Sirius closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. He looked like he’d rather stick his head in the fire than repeat his confession. He took in a deep breath, but kept his eyes closed. Remus had a sinking feeling that Sirius was afraid to look him in the eye.

“Gwen. May. Have. Seen. Me. snoggingCosette.”

“WHAT?” Remus couldn’t help it. The words were so surprising, so unreal, so not Sirius, that it took him completely by surprise. And there’s only one reaction to that feeling: explosion.

“Remus,” said Sirius quietly, his eyes open and serious, “please, just hear me out. Please,” he begged.

Remus closed his eyes and tried to re-order his thoughts and feelings. He shoved his anger and indignation away, and drawing on his love and compassion for Sirius, he lifted his eyelids and nodded, opening his ears up to his friend.

~*~

Half an hour later, Remus was heading across the grounds, ducking his against the rain. A girl was sitting on the grass underneath a beech tree, her head tipped back to the rain.

As he approached, she made no move to acknowledge his presence. He sat himself down on the grass next to her, and watched her out of the corners of his eyes. She looked sad and tired; worn and beaten. He wasn’t sure how he felt with Sirius at this moment, but he knew what he was feeling towards her: love, sympathy, anger on her behalf, and slight awe.

Remus waited, unsure of if he should start a conversation. He just wanted to be there, with her, if she needed someone. He fiddled with the grass by his knees, enjoying the sensation of cold rain on his head. The whole world seemed to have a share in mourning the ending of a monumental relationship.

“Did you know?”

Remus glanced at her quickly, double-checking to make sure she’d really spoken. Buying himself time—not entirely sure he wanted to have this conversation—he stretched his legs out in front of him.

“No,” he said softly.

The breath she must’ve been holding came out loudly. “Did anyone?” she asked him.

“I don’t think so,” said Remus, racking his brain. Sirius hadn’t mentioned telling anyone about it, had he? In an attempt to make her feel better he added, “I think this was the first time.”

She snorted. Remus winced.

“That doesn’t make it any better,” she spat, angry at the world. Remus didn’t blame her.

“I know,” he told her quietly. Leaning back on his palms and shaking his head, he decided to also tell her “I’m sorry.” Not that it mattered. But it made him feel a little better, at least.

“Do you know why?” she wanted to know.

He didn’t want to tell her. It was stupid. But he told her anyway, because she deserved to know—only after stalling twice, of course.

This would be it. Tonight we would be betrothed. I didn’t know how she would react, but it didn’t really matter anyway. It was her parents’ opinion that counted, especially Mr Black’s. And he had given me his consent…

‘Mr Black, may I talk to you for a moment, please?’

He turned around, and when he recognised me, he smiled. ‘Of course, Savaric. How can I be of help?’

I allowed a small smile to grace my lips. ‘It’s about Isla, sir. I would like to propose to her and need your consent,’ I said without hesitation. I preferred to say things straight out.

Mrs Black, who stood next to her husband, looked at him with an unreadable expression in her eyes. She looked… unsure? Was she unhappy that I wanted to ask for Isla’s hand? But before I could continue that train of thought, Mr Black speaking called me back to the present. ‘But of course, Savaric. I’m delighted you want to marry her.’ He smiled widely and came towards me. I met him halfway and we shook hands. The smile on my face turned victorious.

Pulling myself out of the memory of only a few moments ago, I saw the ballroom’s double doors being opened. I recognised her immediately. She looked around nervously for a brief second, then straightened herself and started towards where her and my parents stood talking. Her brother Phineas followed her slowly, as if to make sure she didn’t turn around and ran away.

I scowled lowly at that thought.

Would it be so tragic if she didn’t want to be your bride? a small voice asked.

Yes. Yes, it would mean the end of the world.

The adults had ceased their conversation upon Isla’s arrival, and I now saw Mr Black introducing the Malfoys to Isla. Mr Malfoy said something right then, taking her hand and kissing its back. A small streak of jealousy ripped through me, wanting to hurry over to them and grab Isla’s hand. No one but me should be allowed to touch her in any way!

Shaking my head to clear it, I continued watching Isla smile and then curtsey. I thought I detected a glimmer of disgust in her grey eyes, but it could be a hallucination of my part; she was too far away for me to be completely sure of what I thought I saw.

Mrs Malfoy seemed delighted of Isla’s well-mannered behaviour, but honestly, what did this woman expect? Isla was of the noblest blood this society had to offer – apart from us Orwells. She would of course know how to behave properly in such a situation.

I sneered at the Malfoys and decided it was time to join them.

I pushed myself away from the shadowy corner I had stood in and made my way over to my parents. To Isla. I had only eyes for her. She truly was the most beautiful creature in this room, and in a few moments she would be mine – forever.

When I got closer, I caught Mother saying, ‘My son has good taste.’ I smiled at her compliment while seeing confusion etch into Isla’s face.

The adults started talking again, over Isla’s head. She stood there like a little girl lost. I felt a bit sorry for her, but also listened to the words being spoken. Mr Black told the Malfoys about my and his talk. Mrs Malfoy was cooing, wishing for her son to be like me when he got older. I couldn’t help the smirk that spread around my lips.

Then, Mrs Black addressed Isla, ‘Isla, this is your moment now. You are so lucky to be chosen by him.’

Isla’s head swivelled in her direction really fast. ‘Chosen? I don’t understand…’ Her voice held a shaky tone. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought she was just nervous. I grinned again.

Mr Black then patted her shoulder, before turning to Father. Her gaze followed his, and then she met my eyes. For a brief second, there was surprise there, followed by more confusion. However, it cleared when Mr Black took her hand, placed it in mine and announced, ‘This is a fine day for all of us, especially for you, Isla. Savaric is just perfect for you. You are made for each other.’

Understanding slowly dawned on her and, shaking slightly, she turned to look at her mother who wiped away some tears of joy with a handkerchief.

‘From now on, you are both betrothed by my announcement,’ Mr Black added proudly, patting her shoulder a second time.

I saw her face fall blank, fear still visible in her grey eyes. Then she lost consciousness and sank to the floor.

He was back. She had spent the last four years wondering what had become of him after the war, and now here he was, sitting across from her at the dinner table and talking with her father about the weather.

Daphne’s hand shook as she picked up her wine glass, taking a sip to help calm her nerves. She could hardly believe herself – was she really that weak as to fall in love with him all over again? She hadn’t thought she would. She hadn’t wanted to, but something about those mysterious grey eyes and trademark smirk made her heart flutter like she was a teenager all over again.

Nevertheless, it didn’t even matter anymore. Her parents of course would have invited him round to meet Astoria. Their younger, prettier, thinner and notably more charming daughter. Daphne was once again shoved off into the sidelines; her parents had never made such a fuss over her. Despite being the elder one, they had more or less deemed her not worth their time – she would have a marriage of convenience into a much less important family than the Malfoys.

Astoria always got what she wanted. Daphne could hardly begrudge her for it, after all, it wasn’t as if she had planned it this way. But it just didn’t seem fair. Especially since the latest suitor her parents were dangling their precious daughter in front of was Daphne’s childhood crush.

Draco Malfoy. Oh, how he drove her crazy. It was pointless, she knew that, he’d hardly spared her a look during their schooling days and he certainly wasn’t going to much effort now. She doubted he even remembered her. He’d always been far too wrapped up with his awful friends to notice a quiet chubby girl like her.

But she knew there was something more to him. Something different to what everyone else saw. And she had always hoped that she could be the one person that he could finally be open with, as silly and childish as it was. That in her, he would find some peace.

Daphne toyed with the idea of pouring herself another glass of wine, but decided against it. Her mother would hardly approve. A loud clang from across the table made her glance up, and she saw Draco avoiding a scowl from his mother; he had all but dropped his cutlery onto his now empty dinner plate. She suppressed a grin, something that was easy as he looked up across the table at her and her sister.

His eyes went immediately to Astoria, just like everyone else’s did. Daphne couldn’t pretend it didn’t hurt, even though it happened all the time. Astoria beat her in everything, despite not meaning to. And now she’d even captured the attention of the one person that really mattered to her.

To her surprise, after he’d finished ogling Astoria, Draco moved his gaze to her. The intensity of it, whether he meant it or not, practically stopped her heart. Willing herself not to show an ounce of emotion, Daphne stared back at him impassively. She wasn’t going to delude herself. He was there for Astoria. He didn’t matter to her anymore.

After dinner, the two families moved into the drawing room to socialise a bit more. The plan behind it was really to let Draco and Astoria have some alone time. Daphne wasn’t fooled. She watched each suitor come and go, enraptured by her little sister’s charm – she had no idea why her father hadn’t chosen one already. Maybe he thought she was worth more than the men Astoria usually received.

Daphne watched from the side of the room as Astoria tentatively took up a seat beside Draco at the fireplace. He immediately sat up and leaned towards her, making Daphne’s heart plummet. He liked her. Then again, they all did that. Draco didn’t even know her yet.

After a moment or two of standing there watching them, Daphne couldn’t take it. Ignoring her mother’s glares, she crossed the room to hear a few words of their exchange.

‘I work in the Department of Magical Co-Operation,’ Astoria was saying, giving Daphne a chance to jump into the conversation, even though she knew she really shouldn’t. Leaning over the back of her sister’s chair, she took a deep breath and looked straight at Draco.

‘I work in Law Enforcement,’ she said, referring to her job at the Ministry where she manned an administration desk and filled out paperwork. Draco looked up at her in surprise and Daphne smirked at him. She’d even managed to sound confident. Maybe this would work out better than she’d expected.

Moving around and flopping down into a chair, she realised he was still watching her. Trying not to let her cheeks go red and betray her nervousness, she began to twirl one of her loose curls around her fingers, hoping it looked natural.

‘Do you enjoy it?’ Draco asked politely.

She shrugged, ignoring the glares her parents were burning into the back of her head. She would pay for this later; she wasn’t supposed to be interrupting. ‘It’s a job,’ she replied offhandedly. Astoria cleared her throat, giving her older sister a warning look.

Daphne blushed slightly, rising from her chair. She hadn’t realised that Astoria might be interested in Draco; she seemed to have given him the same polite attentions that she showed every other suitor. But maybe Astoria liked him. Maybe she was going to give their parents the go-ahead.

Fighting back tears, Daphne excused herself from the small gathering, heading up the stairs to her bedroom. She felt so silly – it had been five years, and she still couldn’t help acting like a lovesick little girl.

Daphne closed the door to her bedroom and threw herself down onto her bed. If she’d met him again when he was in a relationship, it probably would have been fine. She would have accepted it and moved on with her life. But to stand back and watch him get involved with Astoria – her sister, her best friend – would be just too much for her to take.

Our discussion this month is pretty straightforward - the differences between betaing and reviewing.

If you beta, in what ways does your betawork differ from the reviews you write? Is it just a matter of thoroughness, or does the manner in which you present criticism also affected? Are you more likely to give positive feedback in a beta comment or in a review?

Also, as a writer, what are the differences between what you expect from a reviewer and what you expect from a beta-reader?

I have done a bit of betaing in the past... I got PI accreditation and joined the Guild, though I never made a thread. I volunteered to beta a few stories, but I guess I realised quite quickly that betaing isn't for me. Yet reviewing is... how interesting So, there must be some distinct differences between my approaches to each of them.

As a beta, I of course corrected all spelling and grammar errors, and nitpicked every sentence. In reviewing, I do sometimes point out typos (I know some of you don’t think that should be done in reviews, but I like to correct those things when they’re pointed out to me, so I make the assumption that my reviewee does too), but that isn’t the main part of the job. I comment on chunks of text that I think could flow better in reviews, but overall I’m not nearly as fussy in reviews as I am in betaing.

In reviews I’ll go into more detail on my overall impression of the fic, and pick out a few of the best areas and the things that needed work (from characterisation to structure to flow…). These comments play less of a role in the notes I give to beta-ees, and tend to be briefer.

Something I noted from the original discussion was that some of you don’t think personal opinions should be included in betaing. I’m the opposite – I see my beta as not just an editor, but as someone to give me a preliminary review – to give me a sample of a reader’s response before I post the fic for all to see. The betas I use are people I trust and whose writing I admire, so I value their input. Of course, I would never try to make an author change something based on my personal opinion, but I maaaay suggest it and I won’t hesitate to point out the parts I like.

For those reasons, I’ve realised that I only really enjoy betaing for people I know – people who I think will trust me and take my opinion into account, seeing me not just as an editor but as a preliminary reviewer, just as I see my betas.

So, looking back at all that, I see betaing as a more comprehensive role including plenty of editing, with a reviewer performing only certain functions of a beta’s role and giving a slightly more personal response.

- You've got 19 stories up in the archives, several one shots and a few chaptered fics. How did you find the time to write all these and do the other MNFF jobs as well as RL of course?
- Which do you like better: writing poetry or stories?
- Why is Sirius your favourite HP character?
- Your favourite OC?
- A fic which you've written and you love the most?
- Your OTP?
- What were your feelings when you saw that one of your fics was listed as a Featured Story/when some written piece got nominated for QSQ?

*phew* That's a lot. Sorry. That's why I didn't put 'and why?' in some of the questions. >.> Lol.